For the past couple of weeks a small group of locals working out of Cafe Windmill have been organising a massive clean-up of the foreshore area between The Basin & Neilson’s Park following the recent tornados & floods.
The plan hatched by Gabrielle McDonald, Karla McKeone, Christine Robinson, Sue-Lee Prickett & Shannon Lawler came together yesterday when some 180 residents & visitors turned up to register for the voluntary event. A skip bin, collection bags and sharps containers were supplied by Council.
Sponsors of the event included Bargara Meats, News-Mail, Hitz 93.9, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, Cafe Windmill, Orange Mouse Dental, Bundaberg Regional Council, Bundaberg Life Savers and the Pre Working Party.
Logs, driftwood, boat parts, metal, foam, fibre glass fragments, polystyrene, sinks, cans of food, plastic, tyres, toilets, clothing, shoes, wire, children s toys, a box fort building kit, life jackets, buoys, you name it they got it and let’s not forget the whole small yacht that was smashed into a thousand pieces spread far and wide over the rocks!
This was a fantasic result for an event which was organised at relatively short notice by average residents and supported by those that rallied to the cause and who simply wanted to make a difference during a time of widespread community dispair.
Later on this year (I’m not sure exactly when) the Keep Australia Beautiful organisation will be holding the Tidy Towns Awards and I for one would like to see Bargara win one of the categories. If the type of community spirit that we saw on our foreshore yesterday can be replicated in the months to come, then we must surely be in with an excellent chance.
Congratulations again to everyone involved – you’re part of the solution!!!